


The Choice

by Omoni



Series: Flowey's Myriad Resets [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alphyne, Alphynecentric, Alphys/Undyne-centric, Alphys/Undynecentric, F/F, Flowey is an asshole, I'm Sorry, Some Spoilers, Suicide, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 12:51:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8103040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/pseuds/Omoni
Summary: Undyne is given a choice by Flowey that she has to make: take the final soul needed to Asgore - and thus free everyone from the Underground, or rescue Alphys - and save her from death - and let the soul go.This idea was originally created by Memories, tales and lives on Tumblr (this post here) and thus most of the credit should go to them. I was indirectly dared and I am always game.Uh... don't hate me. c_c





	

One day, in the year 201X, a human fell down Mt Ebott and landed on a bed of golden flowers. The eighth human to have ever have done so, this human thus found a new world.

And then, quite suddenly, they met their end in that world, from the actions of a golden flower. Because the guardian of the Ruins was late that day, and the flower got there, first - and had extracted and held their soul and hidden the body by the time she got there, none the wiser.

But Flowey was bored. He had a human soul, yes - and this one was very strong and interesting - but he was less inclined to use that soul for his own gain, and more to use it for his amusement. And he knew just what kind of amusement he had yet to create, in all of his countless saves and resets.

Make Undyne, the Captain of the Royal Guard, go insane.

Now, he finally had the exact ingredient with which to do so. And he was very, very excited, indeed. In all of his timelines, his manipulations and machinations, he had never been able to crack the guard's impenetrable mental armour. So he watched her. Followed her. Made notes of her comings and goings.

And now he had a plan, one he knew would work for sure.

With a grin, he set to make it happen.

* * *

Alphys didn't know why she updated so often, but she did. There was something oddly comforting about letting your thoughts flow out onto the web and then simply forget about them. If she got some comments, well, that was certainly a bonus. If not, well, she expected that, so no harm done.

Sometimes - especially lately - Undyne had been replying to quite a bit of whatever she posted. It was flattering, but also incredibly sweaty and nerve-wracking, however innocent those comments were. Alphys of course had the tendency to read too much in those comments, but of course she knew it was all one-sided.

Of course.

 _"Slow day today!"_ she typed with a wry smile. _"Favourite lunch is the best lunch!"_ She then took a picture of herself with a mouthful of ramen and a silly expression on her face, then posted it.

"Golly, Doctor, that can't be healthy, can it?"

Alphys jumped, the voice both familiar and strange at the same time. She turned around in her chair - and fell out of it from shock, her eyes huge and a hand to her chest. "You!" she cried.

Flowey nodded with a sugary smile. "Howdy, Doctor," he replied. "Long time no see!"

"Wh-where did you _go?"_ she blurted out, her heart racing. "Y-you just v-vanished one day, with n-no warning or anything!"

Flowey nodded again. "I was tired of being a test subject," he answered, a little sharply.

Alphys stood up slowly, her hands tangling together in front of her. She hadn't seen Flowey in months, ever since he vanished from the True Lab. She had used every single camera to look for him, even went on foot, but had never found him, no matter how hard she tried. But now, suddenly, here he was.

"L-listen," she said softly. "I-I know I shouldn't of d-done to you w-what I did. S-so, if there's anything I can d-do to make th-things better for you, anything at all--,"

"I'm really glad you asked me that, Doctor," Flowey interrupted cheerfully. "Because there actually _is_ something you can do for me - and only you."

"Anything," she agreed, nodding. "Pl-please, let me help you."

Flowey nodded a third time - then laughed. It was the kind of laugh that didn't ask for you to join in, but for you to be afraid. Alphys suddenly felt her gut turn to ice, and she understood in a flash, to the marrow of her bones, that she had just made a huge, immense mistake.

* * *

Undyne heard the beep on her phone and felt a flutter of excitement. She pulled it our of her pocket and immediately opened up UnderNet, right to Alphys's page. Holding her phone with both hands, she looked at the picture of Alphys with a laugh and a little jolt to her heart; Alphys could be so funny when she wanted to be.

She looked around, making sure she was alone - she was currently patrolling Waterfall - before she saved the picture to her phone with a small laugh. There was no way she wasn't saving that pic, no way at all. It was too cute.

She and Alphys had been friends for a few months, now, and Undyne had very little choice but to admit - at least to herself, anyway, and that had taken ages to admit - that she was in love with her friend. Papyrus knew, but he also knew better than to tell anyone.

Undyne was too afraid to tell Alphys, terrified of rejection, but that didn't stop her feelings from being what they were, especially as they grew - and grow they did. She opened UnderNet again to reply to the picture, when something about it made her pause. She eyed it closely, not at Alphys, but at something behind her.

It looked like a golden flower from Asgore's garden - except that it had a face, and was much larger. And the expression on that face was... sinister. There was no other word for it.

She didn't like it. At all. That giddy feeling she had upon seeing Alphys suddenly became one of nervousness, of wariness. The longer she stared at that flower, the more the urge to get to Hotland grew.

Undyne always trusted her instincts - always. And they were practically screaming at her to get her ass to the Lab, and _now_.

With a shaky breath, she pocketed her phone, secured her helmet, and took off running.

* * *

As she stood drinking her third cup of water (her helmet now off), she got a message.

 _"Howdy, Captain Undyne!"_ it said - from Alphys's number. _"Hope you're well. I have two things that may interest you. Oh, and in case you're wondering, this isn't the Doctor. She's currently... indisposed."_

Undyne stared at the message with growing fear. She knew the moment she started reading that it wasn't Alphys, and now she was beyond worried.

 _"Who are you? Why do you have Alphys's phone?"_ she typed in shakily, her heart racing painfully.

 _"You can call me Flowey,"_ was the reply. _"And I've always wanted to know: what would you pick, Captain?"_

_"What the hell are you talking about? Where's Alphys?"_

_"With me. And here's the question, Captain: Which would you pick? The final human soul to break the barrier? Or your Alphy?"_

Undyne stared at the screen, feeling a tingling in her left eyesocket. Her breathing went funny, and she felt both hot and cold, her mouth dry with fear. _"What are you talking about?"_ she typed, her fingers shaking.

_"I have the final human soul, Captain. And you can have it, no question. You can have it, take it to Asgore, and be the hero you always were destined to be. But as a result, the Royal Scientist pays with her life. She and I have a debt to settle, after all."_

Undyne was now having trouble standing. She leaned against the water cooler, her eye wide. _"You'd kill Alphys in exchange for the soul?"_ she typed.

 _"Absolutely!"_ was the reply. _"But you can save her, and let me keep the soul. I can't say the results will be great for either of you if you do - or even for the Underground - so I'd suggest taking the soul and letting the Doctor die."_

_"How do I know you'd even honour either choice?"_

_"Because I could have done either one already - and this is WAY more fun!"_

Undyne felt her eye sting. If it was true, and this Flowey had a human soul in his possession, then if she took it, they would finally be free. The surface would finally be theirs, and they could finally be where they belonged.

But Alphys would die. And the very thought of it terrified Undyne to the core.

_"Where are you?"_

_"The Lab. Come find us."_

Undyne pocketed her phone and ran as fast as she could, her mind a confused spiral of thoughts of panic - and of pain.

* * *

By the time Undyne had made it to the Lab, she still had no idea what to do. When she raised her hand to knock on the door, it opened to darkness, and she walked in carefully, a spear flashing to life in her hand and ready, its light guiding her way. Her heart ached, and she felt sick inside.

She had no idea what to do.

When she walked past the desk, the light turned on - and revealed a horror that she hadn't seen outside of her nightmares.

Alphys was trapped against the wall in a cage of vines, bleeding from were several thorns had pierced her skin. Her head drooped, but she raised it weakly when she saw the lights come on, looking confused. Then her eyes landed on Undyne, and they flared in panic. "N-no," she gasped out. "U-Undyne, g-get out of here!"

At that, from the ground, a flower popped up in front of Undyne, who had started towards Alphys without thinking. The flower was exactly the same one that she had seen in Alphys's picture, and her gut clenched in fear; the look on his face was ugly, both overjoyed and disgusted by her presence.

"Howdy, Captain!" he chirped. "I'm Flowey the flower! We spoke on the phone!"

"Yes," Undyne growled out, holding her spear hard. She could see the soul in him, being held but not absorbed, and she stared at it, unable to look away from it.

"So, Captain," Flowey continued, still cheerful. "Have you made your decision?"

"Undyne," Alphys repeated suddenly, her voice weak but still stern. Undyne's head jerked up and looked at her, feeling her eye stinging again - made worse when Alphys met her gaze with hard, clear eyes. "Take the soul, Undyne," she said. "It doesn't m-matter if I die. What m-matters is the future of our people."

Undyne stared at her, her spear flickering as her concentration wavered. Didn't Alphys understand? That to her, a world without Alphys was an empty, grey world? That Alphys had taught her so much, and she knew that she had so much more to learn? That... that Undyne... that she...

But she was a warrior of her people. They counted on her - Asgore especially. She loved everyone, even the idiots. They _counted on her_ to save them, to rise them up from the hell of the Underground, to freedom. It was what she lived for. What she fought for.

Or so she'd thought. Until she'd met Alphys at the abyss. Suddenly, then, her entire world shifted on its axis, and she realised she adored the Doctor, to the point of wanting to know more and more. And the more she discovered, the more she adored. The more she...

...loved.

"Undyne!" Alphys cried, breaking her from her reverie. She didn't know it, but she was weeping, silently. "Take the soul! Trust me, Undyne! I-I deserve to die! Please! _Please!_ Take the soul, save our people! It's okay, Undyne, it's okay!"

"Alphys..." she whispered, searching her friend's face closely. Alphys stared back, her eyes full of tears of her own, but still she nodded.

"Well, Captain?" Flowey broke in, still smiling that cold, pitiless smile.

Her breathing was strange, and again her left eyesocket tingled. She felt as if the whole world was crumbling at her feet.

Because Alphys was right. She was right. No matter how much Undyne felt for her, there was no denying the truth of those words.

And it killed something in Undyne to admit it.

She couldn't let Flowey use the soul. She had to take it to Asgore. She had to free her people. But then, once she was done that, once she'd done her duty, she refused to face a world without Alphys. That much, she knew, was true.

Undyne stared into the eyes of her dearest friend, the woman she loved, and said, the worlds burning her throat, "Yes. Give me the soul."

Flowey grinned, then, the soul smoothly slipping from his chest and into the air between them. Undyne held out her hands out, reaching out with her power, and took it, her eye still on Alphys, her tears running free.

The moment her hands closed over the soul, there was a harsh, cutting sound. Alphys cried out, her eyes going dark before they close, and she went limp. Blood splattered over the vines and to the floor, a gruesome red.

And suddenly, Undyne saw only red - _that_ red. And her eyes went to Flowey, her face twisting into a grin. Flowey grinned back for a moment - until she absorbed the soul. She felt its power, so brilliant and strong, course through her entire body, as though lighting her from within. She latched onto that power, opened her eye, and raised her hand. A slew of her spears sparked to life - and suddenly Flowey became afraid, a sight that made her blood sing with joy.

She flung them down, already raising her other hand to bring more forth. She knew he would be slippery enough to miss most of her hits, so she threw the second volley down with no hesitation, already raising her other hand yet again. Nothing would stop her, now - not until Flowey was dust beneath her boots.

By the time the fourth wave had landed, however, Flowey was long gone. Undyne glared, her eye raking over the entire Lab for any signs of him, but he was gone - evidenced when Alphys suddenly dropped from a cage now vanishing and landing to the floor, covered in blood.

Undyne's spears vanished and she ran to Alphys, skidding in the blood but coming to a stop beside her, dropping to her knees and pulling the Doctor into her arms. With cold dread, she could see that Alphys wouldn't make it; a long, deep gash opened from her shoulder to across her chest, and she was losing blood fast. Already her complexion was greying, that damning precursor to monster death. Undyne gritted her teeth, holding her close, feeling the blood stain through her armour but not caring.

"Alphys," she cried sharply, leaning close. _"Alphys!_ Open your eyes, you need to! We can still get you help!"

Alphys shook her head slowly, her eyes remaining closed. "N-no, Undyne," she whispered.

"Yes, Alphys!" Undyne snarled, though she was crying hard, now. "You need to hold on, concentrate on holding on! I can get you help! Where...?" She looked around for a moment, then reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone, her fingers shaking as she tried to dial.

Suddenly, Alphys covered her hand with her own, stopping her. "N-no," she repeated weakly. "T-take the soul... t-to As... Asgore," she said. "T-take it. F-free everyone. B-break the b-barrier."

"Alphys, _no!"_ Undyne shouted. "I can't! _I can't!"_

"You... you can," Alphys corrected gently, her hand gentle on Undyne's.

"No! I can't without you! I can't!" Undyne sobbed. She yanked her hand away and dialled the emergency number, managing to get it through before Alphys could stop her again.

"Un... dyne..." Alphys whispered. "I... deserve this. It's finally... the price I pay... for my crimes..."

 _"No,"_ Undyne answered, putting the phone to her ear. "Hotland, the Royal Scientist's Lab. Now. _Now._ She's bleeding to death. Hurry!" She dropped the phone and pulled Alphys closer, her eye shutting tight for a moment, every fibre within her hoping that they would get to them in time.

"Undyne..." Alphys whispered again, her voice so soft that Undyne had to lean in close to hear her. "Th-they won't make it... it's okay... I've done... horrible things... Flowey... he had the... r-right to kill me..."

"No, Alphy, please," Undyne suddenly sobbed out, reaching up to stroke Alphys's cheek. "Please, Alphy, hang on. Hang onto me until they get here, okay?"

"Undyne... I n-never told you... I w-wish I had..." Alphys was crying, now, her voice getting smaller and smaller, her body lighter and lighter. "I... Undyne, I... I l-love you..."

Undyne sobbed, holding her tighter, rocking slowly. "I love you, Alphy," she managed to get out, her voice broken. "I love you so much. So please, hold on, please! Hold on, Alphy!"

"S-save them," Alphys pleaded. "S-save them. I-I love you... s-save them... I... love... you..."

She went silent - then limp. Undyne's whole body went hot in fear, and she looked down, searching Alphys's face. "Alphy?" she whispered, horrified to see her friend's face now completely grey. "Alphy?!"

And then, suddenly, as though seeing it from far away, Alphys became so light... and then dissolved into dust within Undyne's arms, leaving nothing behind but that dust covering Undyne and the floor beneath them.

Undyne stared, her whole body wracked with tremors. She stared, and willed the dust to turn back into her friend, back to the one person she loved more than anyone else in the world. But it didn't work. Alphys was gone, and only her dust remained.

Undyne screamed, then, Alphys's name ending in incoherent sobs. She cowered there in that dust, begging it not to be true, for herself to wake up from this nightmare, for someone, anyone, to wake her up, to tell her it was just a dream, it was only a dream, and she'd wake up...

But it wasn't a dream. The longer she screamed, the more real it became.

* * *

Like a sleepwalker, still covered in the dust of Alphys, Undyne made her way into the royal gardens of New Home. Asgore turned to her - and his expression fell, shock filling his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't heard the news, yet.

Silently, Undyne reached within herself and pulled the soul free, holding it between her hands. It pulsed eagerly, but she held it still, and Asgore stared at it, now.

"The final soul," Undyne whispered. "Use it, Asgore. The price paid for it was immense."

He took it, and she turned and walked away, ignoring him when he tried to call her back.

* * *

Undyne couldn't drown. Not like Alphys had wanted to drown herself. But she could burn. That much she knew she could do.

Undyne stood at the edge of the Core, gazing down at the molten lava beneath her. It looked like water, she thought vaguely, like hot, orange, thick water. It was almost like water.

By now, she knew, the barrier was broken, and the Underground was rising up from its prison. She knew she should be so happy, be at Asgore's side, but all she could feel was that empty, hollow agony. All she could see was Alphys, alive - then gone - over and over.

It was too much to bear, she realised. She thought that all she'd wanted in life was that freedom, the right to be on the surface, to take her rightful place at Asgore's side against the humans.

But she was wrong. She'd wanted all of that - but at Alphys's side, not Asgore's.

Except now, Alphys was dead. Undyne still wore much of her dust upon her.

"I saved them," she whispered. "I did it. But I didn't save you, Alphy. Please, forgive me for this. I... I love you so much. I hope... I hope to see you, soon."

She closed her eyes, held her hands to her chest, and jumped into the lava. She was dust before she even hit it.

* * *

From his place in the Ruins, Flowey contemplated. It was certainly not what he'd expected - Undyne dying even after saving them all - but she had gone insane, so it certainly had been interesting.

Did he want to RESET?

He pondered this for a moment. What _would_ happen if the human he'd killed survived? Would it be even more interesting?

Hm...

Yes. He'd like to RESET.

**\--The End--**


End file.
